Headphones- Heroes of Olympus songfic
by Wizbef
Summary: Headphones is a HoO songfic of the song 'Headphones' by Britt Nicole. I don't own anything except Taylor and the plot. This story takes place before Leo comes to Camp Half-Blood. Taylor has been plagued by bullies and teasing for her whole life. Leo is the clown of the school, but has a dark past. What happens when the two teens are brought together by a song? One-shot


Taylor runs inside her house and flings her bag down, collapsing on her bed. _Why don't they like me?_ She thinks, wiping a tear away. The memories of the day's taunts linger fresh in her mind, cutting at her again and again. _What did I do wrong? _Her mind flashes back to the crowd of kids, pressing in on her and yelling insulting things. Only one of them seemed to hang back. _Is it how I dress?_ She stands up and opens her closet, looking through her clothes. Picking out a few outfits that seem 'cool', Taylor pulls off her shirt.

No matter what she wears, in the mirror she still sees the same person: The weird girl who doesn't have any friends. The blonde sits down on the edge of her bed, frustrated. _Is it my hair?_ Her hands reach up and pull her short hair into pigtails. There's not much you can do with a bob.

It doesn't make sense. Why should she try to be like them? Every time she tries, she just gets laughed at more and more. Taylor leans back again, exhausted. If there's one thing to make her feel better, it's music.

She grabs her iPod off the bedside table, slipping her blue ear buds into her ears and hitting play. Ironically, the song 'Headphones' by Britt Nicole plays in her ear. _Such a cheery song for such a dreary day._ Taylor thinks, being pessimistic. Still, she can't help but feel better when the song describes a girl in practically the same situation as her.

_She gave it her best, she tried to fit in_

_She tried to be cool but she never could win_

_Her mom says she's great, the kids think she's weird_

_Honestly she wished she could disappear_

Brit Nicole's happy voice sings in her ear, making the sad story sound like it's the best thing in the world.

_Why you try- trying to be like the rest of them_

_When you know there's so much more within_

_There's only one you_

_Here's what you gotta do_

_Woah, woah_

The words calm Taylor, and she begins to bob her head in time with the beat.

_Anytime you feel alone, put on your headphones_

_Love, love's coming through your headphones_

_Anytime you feel alone, put on your headphones_

By now Taylor is jumping on the bed, her iPod dangerously tucked in her back pocket.

_Love, love's coming through your headphones_

_L-o-o-ove is coming through your headphones_

_L-o-o-ove is coming through your headphones_

With the song still playing, Taylor jumps up and runs out of her room, grabbing her bike from the garage. She walks it to the end of her drive way before jumping on and riding down the street.

* * *

Leo sits on a bench, head in his hands. Ava, the only girlfriend he'd ever had, just broke up with him not five minutes ago. Beside him is a pile of papers with hearts on them, cute little valentines that he never got to give her.

His hand lights up with fire, and he brings it to the papers, burning them. A single tear drips down his cheek. _Come on Valdez,_ He scolds himself. _She's just a girl. Now put that smile back on your face and go back to being the clown._

He smiles briefly, but it doesn't last. He wants to just give up and run again, but he also wants to run back inside and beg Ava for another chance. Honestly, he has no idea what he wants.

He lifts his face up to the sun and closes his eyes just as a girl on a bike passes him. Music faintly drifts from her headphones, and he can just make out the lyrics.

_He gets in his car_

_He falls apart_

_It came to an end and now it's breaking his heart_

_He wants to give up_

_Wants to try again_

_Honestly he doesn't know what he's feeling_

If Leo didn't know better, he'd think the song was about him, it describes what he's going through so well. He squints after the girl, trying to hear more lyrics. Finally, he gives up and follows her.

The music is playing so loud that even from a half a block away Leo can hear it.

_Hey, you might not see it with your eyes_

_But keep your head up to the sky_

_The sun is coming through_

_Here's what you gotta do_

_Woah_, _woah_

_Anytime you feel alone, put on your headphones_

_Love, love's coming through your headphones_

_Anytime you feel alone, put on your headphones_

_Love, love's coming through your headphones_

_L-o-o-ove is coming through your headphones_

_L-o-o-ove is coming through your headphones_

Leo stops and watches as the girl gets off of her bike and lies down on the grass in the middle of the park, closing her eyes. Desperate to hear the rest of the song, he walks closer to her.

_So keep your head up high and dust off your shoulders_

_It's alright, no, it's not over_

_Love is here, it came to dry up all your tears_

_Oh, can you feel it_

_Gotta believe it, gotta see it by your side in the middle of the night_

_So keep your head up high and the dust off your shoulders_

_It's alright, no it's not over_

Feeling slightly ashamed that he's so obsessed with hearing the end of such a girly song, Leo edges even closer.

_Anytime you feel alone, put on your headphones_

_Love, love's coming through your headphones_

_Anytime you feel alone, put on your headphones_

_Love, love's coming through your headphones_

_L-o-o-ove is coming through your headphones_

_L-o-o-ove is coming through your headphones_

Now Leo's less than ten feet away, and he can see details about the blonde in front of him. With a start, he realizes it's the same girl who ran home in tears after being teased earlier.

_Twinkle, twinkle in your eye_

_Listen to this lullaby_

_The sun is shining in the sky_

_I see love it's in your eyes_

For the first time, Leo realizes the girl is holding a balloon in one hand. He watches, mesmerized, as she lets go of the balloon and watches it float up into the clouds, whispering 'You're free now'.

_This ain't the first time you felt like this_

_This ain't the first time, this ain't the first time_

_This ain't the last time you'll feel like this_

_But it'll be fine, if you can just smile_

By now Leo's less than three feet away, but still he takes another step. The girl tilts her head back and looks at him, a serene smile on her face. Suddenly the smile vanishes and she jumps up, back to the girl he sees in the hallway every day.

"Aren't you…?" She asks uncertainly.

"Part of the group of kids that was teasing you earlier? Yeah." He replies, looking at the ground in shame.

"Actually, I was going to say the only person in the group who _didn't_ tease me." She says, the smile reappearing on her features. "I'm Taylor." She holds out her hand.

"Leo." He takes it, and for a split second, their eyes connect. In that second, he knows what he's going to do. He won't run away again. At least, not for a while. It's bound to happen eventually, but for now, he's just going to enjoy life as it is.


End file.
